Scarecrow

Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

December, 2014

PERSONAL INFORMATION:    Born July 21, 1956, in Philadelphia, PA; Education: Graduated from University of Florida, 1980.Memberships: Mystery Writers of America (president, 2003-04). Addresses: Home: Tampa, FL. E-mail: janed@michaelconnelly.com.

CAREER:   Writer and journalist. Worked as a newspaper reporter in Florida and for the Los Angeles Times;full-time novelist.

AWARDS:   Pulitzer Prize finalist for feature writing (with two other reporters), 1986, for an article in the Sun-Sentinel about a major airline crash and its survivors; Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel, Mystery Writers of America, 1993, for The Black Echo; Anthony Award for best novel, 1997, for The Poet, 1999, for Blood Work, and 2003, fo rCity of Bones; Macavity Award for best novel, 1999, for Blood Work, and 2003, for City of Bones;Edgar Allan Poe Award nomination for best novel, 1999, for Blood Work, 2003, for City of Bones, and 2006, for The Lincoln Lawyer; Shamus Award, 2006, for The Lincoln Lawyer; Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award; Dilys Award; Nero Award; Barry Award; Audie Award; Ridley Award; Maltese Falcon Award (Japan); .38 Caliber Award (France); Grand Prix Award (France); Premio Bancarella Award (Italy); Pepe Carvalho award (Spain).

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

• The Poet, 1996.
• Blood Work, , 1998.
• Void Moon,  2000.
• Chasing the Dime, 2002.
• The Scarecrow, 2009.

Connelly returns to the protagonist from his award-winning The Poet for his 2009 stand-alone novel The Scarecrow. Jack McEvoy has been laid off from his job at theLos Angeles Times and decides to write a final story as a way to screw over the people he feels did him wrong or otherwise just deserve it. Mary Melton, writing in Los Angeles, called the novel's plot "ridiculous" and opined that the characters are missing "the 'breadth and depth' that McEvoy" espouses. Melton retreated from being fully critical, however, by calling the novel "a page-turner."

Pursuing a big story in anticipation of his imminent layoff, Los Angeles reporter Jack McEvoy investigates the murder confession of a teen drug dealer and realizes that the youth may be innocent, a discovery that pits him against a killer operating below police radar.

"LINCOLN LAWYER" SERIES

• The Lincoln Lawyer, 2005.
• The Brass Verdict, 2008.
• The Reversal, 2010.
• The Fifth Witness, 2011.
• The Gods of Guilt,  2013.

"HARRY BOSCH" SERIES

• The Black Echo, 1992.
• The Black Ice,  1993.
• The Concrete Blonde, 1994.
• The Last Coyote, 1995.
• Trunk Music, 1997.
• Angels Flight, 1999.
• A Darkness More than Night,, 2001.
• City of Bones, 2002.
• Lost Light, 2003.
• The Narrows, 2004.
• The Closers, 2005.
• Echo Park, 2006.
• The Overlook, 2007.
• Nine Dragons, 2009.
• The Drop, 2011.
• Angle of Investigation: Three Harry Bosch Short Stories Amazon Digital Services 2011.
• Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories Amazon Digital Services 2011.
• The Black Box, 2012.

MEDIA ADAPTATIONS:

Blood Work was adapted for a film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, released by Warner Bros., 2002. The Lincoln Lawyer was adapted for a film starring Matthew McConaughey, released by Lionsgate, 2011.

Connelly, Michael

Michael Connelly's cunningly plotted mysteries blend realistic police procedurals with the forlorn

heroism of classic hardboiled fiction. Protagonist Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch -- named for a

Renaissance painter of hellish scenes -- is burdened by his own painful origins. Connelly portrays

Bosch as a maverick hero whose vision of justice means that "everybody counts or nobody counts."

Thriller and suspense fans will find that Connelly's plots hit the ground running: full of shocking twists,

climactic build-up, and often violent confrontations, Connelly ultimately allows characters to carve

meaning out of darkness -- if they live. Start with: The Black Echo.

Read-alikes

1.

Barre, Richard

Reason:  Connelly and Richard Barre both evoke urban settings where world-weary protagonists

wrestle personal demons while chasing down un-righted wrongs and cracking unsolved cases. Is

Barre's take less optimistic--or simply more realistic--than Connelly's? Readers will have to decide

for themselves. -- Kim Burton

2.

Rankin, Ian

Reason:  Connelly and Rankin produce gripping stories of investigators whose tenacious, hard-

living, hard-working qualities are matched only by their resistance to authority. Their fiercely

independent heroes whose obsession with justice comes at great personal cost feature in police

Mysteries with complex plots, psychological depth, harsh realism and a touch of wistful poetry. --

Katherine Johnson

3.

Turow, Scott

Reason:  Connelly's fans might like Scott Turow's novels for their vivid characterizations, complex

and provocative plots, investigative details, and realistic dialog, though Turow's are generally

lighter in tone. -- Ellen Guerci

4.

Child, Lee

Reason:  Child's Jack Reacher, with his military background, keen intelligence, and obscure past,

is a hero similar to Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, despite the fact that he lives entirely off the

grid and works outside the law. Child's intelligent writing an complex plots will also appeal, as will

Reacher's strong moral code. -- Shauna Griffin

5.

Sandford, John, 1944 Feb. 23-

Reason:  John Sandford rivals Connelly for grim tone and depressing circumstances. Any of

Sandford's Suspense and Mystery novels should appeal to Connelly fans for their grit, violence,

and fast pace. -- Krista Biggs

6.

Pelecanos, George P.

Reason:  Fans of Michael Connelly's gritty and intricate mysteries will want to try the hard-boiled

fiction of George P. Pelecanos. Both authors feature detectives who are doggedly thorough and

relentless in their pursuit of fairness. -- Victoria Caplinger

7.

Kellerman, Jonathan

Reason:  Both Kellerman and Connelly set their gritty and suspenseful crime series in a darkly

Read-alikes for Connelly, Michael

Find more read-alikes in NoveList.

drawn and atmospheric Los Angeles. Investigative techniques, vividly-drawn characters, complex

and twisted story lines, and building suspense characterize both series. -- Joyce Saricks

8.

Larsson, Stieg, 1954-2004

Reason:  Although Stieg Larsson's intricately plotted, character-driven Mysteries are set in

Sweden, fans of American crime novelist Michael Connelly will appreciate Larsson's flawed but

heroic characters and suspenseful, twist-filled stories. -- Gillian Speace

9.

Eccles, Marjorie

Reason:  Michael Connelly writes well plotted, gritty, fast-paced mysteries. Readers who enjoy his

novels might try Marjorie Eccles, whose mysteries, though historical, share the same dark,

atmospheric feel and fast pace. -- Nanci Milone Hill

© 2014 EBSCO Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.